And I'm we're still a little bit drunkhaving fun and nopony can stop that, so Party Hard.

John DeLancie doing something like this, I sort of expected, although I didn't think he'd take it quite as far as 2:20. When voice actor Tara Strong joined in 30 seconds later, and when I saw the final credits, my jaw dropped so hard it probably woke the neigh-bors. They actually managed to encapsulate the past two years of insanity (along with the Brony Subculture Analysis in terms of moderates/hipsters/creatives/etc) in the space of four and a quarter minutes.

randomjsa: I don't know where the brony thing came from but I know where it's going.

Can you say "regarded with less respect than furries in a few years" boys and girls?

[i.chzbgr.com image 500x749]

Yes, and?

NFA: I only saw the first 30 seconds because I lost consciousness from beating my head against the desk.

[lh3.googleusercontent.com image 500x249]

Yes, and?

danielscissorhands: I propose some sort of solution that has finality to solve the bronie/hipster problem.

[i.imgur.com image 850x680]

Yes (LIKE A BOSS), and?

[24.media.tumblr.com image 500x364]

And I'm we're still a little bit drunkhaving fun and nopony can stop that, so Party Hard.

John DeLancie doing something like this, I sort of expected, although I didn't think he'd take it quite as far as 2:20. When voice actor Tara Strong joined in 30 seconds later, and when I saw the final credits, my jaw dropped so hard it probably woke the neigh-bors. They actually managed to encapsulate the past two years of insanity (along with the Brony Subculture Analysis in terms of moderates/hipsters/creatives/etc) in the space of four and a quarter minutes.

Every time I think this fandom's exceeded its grasp, it gets 20% cooler.

randomjsa: I don't know where the brony thing came from but I know where it's going.

Can you say "regarded with less respect than furries in a few years" boys and girls?

[i.chzbgr.com image 500x749]

Yes, and?

NFA: I only saw the first 30 seconds because I lost consciousness from beating my head against the desk.

[lh3.googleusercontent.com image 500x249]

Yes, and?

danielscissorhands: I propose some sort of solution that has finality to solve the bronie/hipster problem.

[i.imgur.com image 850x680]

Yes (LIKE A BOSS), and?

[24.media.tumblr.com image 500x364]

And I'm we're still a little bit drunkhaving fun and nopony can stop that, so Party Hard.

John DeLancie doing something like this, I sort of expected, although I didn't think he'd take it quite as far as 2:20. When voice actor Tara Strong joined in 30 seconds later, and when I saw the final credits, my jaw dropped so hard it probably woke the neigh-bors. They actually managed to encapsulate the past two years of insanity (along with the Brony Subculture Analysis in terms of moderates/hipsters/creatives/etc) in the space of four and a quarter minutes.

Every time I think this fandom's exceeded its grasp, it gets 20% cooler.

Bathia_Mapes:syrynxx: I would've expected it to be explained by Gilbert O'Sullivan - guys who are "Alone again, naturally".

I wonder what happened to him.

Well, he did promise himself to treat himself and visit a nearby tower, from which he climbed to the top and threw himself off in an effort to make it clear to whoever wants to know what it's like when you're shattered and left standing in the lurch at a church.

randomjsa: I don't know where the brony thing came from but I know where it's going.

Can you say "regarded with less respect than furries in a few years" boys and girls?

[i.chzbgr.com image 500x749]

Yes, and?

NFA: I only saw the first 30 seconds because I lost consciousness from beating my head against the desk.

[lh3.googleusercontent.com image 500x249]

Yes, and?

danielscissorhands: I propose some sort of solution that has finality to solve the bronie/hipster problem.

[i.imgur.com image 850x680]

Yes (LIKE A BOSS), and?

[24.media.tumblr.com image 500x364]

And I'm we're still a little bit drunkhaving fun and nopony can stop that, so Party Hard.

John DeLancie doing something like this, I sort of expected, although I didn't think he'd take it quite as far as 2:20. When voice actor Tara Strong joined in 30 seconds later, and when I saw the final credits, my jaw dropped so hard it probably woke the neigh-bors. They actually managed to encapsulate the past two years of insanity (along with the Brony Subculture Analysis in terms of moderates/hipsters/creatives/etc) in the space of four and a quarter minutes.

Every time I think this fandom's exceeded its grasp, it gets 20% cooler.

Cythraul:Someone once tried to explain to me the adult appeal of this production, so they showed me a My Little Ponies Lord of the Rings spoof. It was okay, and cute, but I just couldn't get into it.

Bronies still creep me out, though. But, whatever floats your boat.

To be honest, Bronies creep many people out, even people who watch the show.

I say it at least once a Pony Thread... watching a show, reading a book, rooting for a sports team and enjoying it is one thing, but going off the deep end and making it a full blown obsession is another, and weird whether it's Ponies, Star Trek, or the Green Bay Packers.

FirstNationalBastard:I'm betting college-aged chicks... you know, the type you wear one of those stupid "This is what a Feminist looks like" T-Shirts to nail.

Youngest was 19 (I did not know that at the time). Oldest 32. Several childless adults in white-collar professions. One young lady met in mildly dubious circumstances.

mahuika:I hate to be the one to tell you this, but watching a television show entirely for attention from women is a bit creepy.

Well, yes. That would be the case, were that the only reason to watch the television show in question. It's still a good show. Nerd girl attention is just a welcome side-effect and possibly a more socially acceptable justification for the threadshiatters who will invariably show up.

Jackson Herring:mahuika: likefunbutnot: The show itself is good and fun and basically awesome.

For the guys who say they don't get it, here is a thing to understand: Nerd girls love nerd boys who love ponies.Not that kind of love. Though "clopping" WAS mentioned in that song.

Anyway, in my experience, enjoyment of ponies leads to lady-attention. This alone has tremendous value and should not be discounted.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but watching a television show entirely for attention from women is a bit creepy.

You are just uncomfortable with the idea that some guys, guys who are very nice and not like other guys mind you, are flaunting gender norms in such an in-your-face way.

Or it could just be creepy.

I've seen the show. I watch lots of kids shows...because, you know, I have kids. Some of them are pretty good and I enjoy them (Yo Gabba Gabba, Aquabats, even the Ponies are amusing occasionally). I really like the classics like Animaniacs and Looney Tunes.

Why does it have to go beyond that into an Internet "thing" where pics of the cartoon appear in every thread? Why are "Bronies" a thing?

"Oh the voice actors are so good! Oh there are lots of adult jokes so it is cool for men to watch!"

First, who the fark pays attention to voice actors? Really? I've been watching the Simpsons for 20 farking years and I can name two of the voices. I don't give a shiat what the names of the voices are and I damn sure don't watch other shows just to hear their voices, or pretend I like the show because of Dan Castellenata amazing voice acting talent.

And second, lots of kids shows have adult jokes in them. Most I'd even say, and you know why? So I don't go nuts having to watch the shows with my kids 500 times.

Not so 35 year old neck beards and ironic hipsters can buy action figures and incessantly bleat on about how awesome the show is and how everyone who is tired of this ridiculous fad is just insecure or homophobic or projecting.

Not that it matters, I'm sure there will be some really clever picture of a cartoon pony to respond and people will just keeping being weird, I guess I can just wait a few months until Brony becomes another forgotten stupid thing that happened on the Internet.

js34603:Not that it matters, I'm sure there will be some really clever picture of a cartoon pony to respond and people will just keeping being weird, I guess I can just wait a few months until Brony becomes another forgotten stupid thing that happened on the Internet.

Your wish. My command.

Also, this fandom has gained a ton of stream, it's more likely we'll be around more like Trekkies, who are still here, than disappear. That is, just assimilate into the group of accepted culture.

encyclopediaplushuman:js34603: Not that it matters, I'm sure there will be some really clever picture of a cartoon pony to respond and people will just keeping being weird, I guess I can just wait a few months until Brony becomes another forgotten stupid thing that happened on the Internet.

Your wish. My command.[dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com image 625x349]

Also, this fandom has gained a ton of stream, it's more likely we'll be around more like Trekkies, who are still here, than disappear. That is, just assimilate into the group of accepted culture.

I don't know... after the show is finally off the air in a season or two, I'm not sure if the Bronies will continue on.

FirstNationalBastard:I don't know... after the show is finally off the air in a season or two, I'm not sure if the Bronies will continue on.

That's a valid thing to consider FNB. But considering this was made by a fan animator, and lots of other ones existing. And that there's already a brony-made movie and a brony-made episode in production, once these get done, it'll be easier for the fandom to create it's own content. Making their own story, their own show, and keep it going themselves.

encyclopediaplushuman:FirstNationalBastard: I don't know... after the show is finally off the air in a season or two, I'm not sure if the Bronies will continue on.

That's a valid thing to consider FNB. But considering this was made by a fan animator, and lots of other ones existing. And that there's already a brony-made movie and a brony-made episode in production, once these get done, it'll be easier for the fandom to create it's own content. Making their own story, their own show, and keep it going themselves.

Well, that is something to consider... this is the first fandom to have all these options open to them for creating original content because of the relative ease of flash animation, plentiful voice actors, and a copyright holder that hasn't yet went off the deep end with DMCA notices...

though Hasbro is starting to get all big corporation-y with things, so we'll have to see how long the hands off golden era can last.

I had a go at watching the show a while back to see what the fuss was about. Turned me into a fan (and the expressive meme pictures are generally funny too, that didn't hurt). I wouldn't lay claim to the stigma of being a "brony"; I've no desire to go to conventions or buy the toys or interact with the painfully not-self-aware fanbase. But seeing the backlash against the dedicated fans made consider why the show exploded the way it did, and I've narrowed it down to a few points.

1. It's a well-done show. Everything about the show is high quality. The humor, animation, songs, voice-acting and overall style/setting, it's clearly a labor of love encased in a vehicle for selling lumps of plastic to little girls. It's certainly not a unique cartoon in this respect but this is the solid foundation any fandom.2. It's a good show. Not good as in repeating the point above, but good in that it purports a set of ideals, sweetness and light and all that jazz. In a world that drowning in anti-heroes, drama, grimdark, sarcasm and the outright bizarre, a haven setting where you can feel good is becoming more and more rare.3. It's not insipid. The show hardly ever stoops down and makes baby-gurgling noises at the audience like most moralistic endeavors for kids. The characters speak quickly and with a full vocabulary, and the lessons of each episode fall out naturally from the events.4. The whole premise of the show is community - Friendship is right there in the title. With a message like that, the sudden blossoming of a whole gaggle of pony fans who take strength and support from each other ought not to be all that surprising!5. Not as big as the other points, but the "feminist" tone of the show is actually one of the better examples I've seen in how to do it in this form of media. Too many efforts have fallen into the trap of making their message "Girls can do anything boys can do" with the inclusion of such characters as the "gamer/nerd girl" or "badass girl" or "bully girl." Whereas the ponies embrace the much less combative and freer "Girls can do anything they want to do" that is only a synapse away from the lovely equalist idea of "Anyone can be anything they want to be."

And, obviously, there's a lot of good old teenage/young adult rebellion going in liking the show. Weird, but it could be worse. Way worse. :)

FirstNationalBastard:encyclopediaplushuman: js34603: Not that it matters, I'm sure there will be some really clever picture of a cartoon pony to respond and people will just keeping being weird, I guess I can just wait a few months until Brony becomes another forgotten stupid thing that happened on the Internet.

Also, this fandom has gained a ton of stream, it's more likely we'll be around more like Trekkies, who are still here, than disappear. That is, just assimilate into the group of accepted culture.

I don't know... after the show is finally off the air in a season or two, I'm not sure if the Bronies will continue on.

Now that I've woken up and can type again, I can be half-serious.

First off, to those I poked fun at upthread, guilty as charged. My principal use for a mirror is to point at the silly dude in it and laugh, and you're a great mirror. I went through the five stages too: Denial - Just a meme, gone in a month / Anger - Why the hell am I watching this? / Bargaining - Maybe just one more episode / Depression - OK, I'll watch the whole series. And when I'm done that, I'll find more... / Acceptance - Eeyup, I'm one with the Herd.

Second, where does it go from here?

Star Trek and Dr. Who had/have the advantage of extremely long-running shows, both in syndication and original production. I can't see Hasbro going that route with MLP. It doesn't make business sense when the objective is ultimately to sell toys to kids, and they'll only be buying toys for 2-3 years. So you only need to produce 2-3 years' worth of episodes before moving on to another property.

I think the fandom ends up somewhere in between the two extremes. Not forgotten the day the show's over, but not self-perpetuating like the Trekkers and Whovians. Maybe like Browncoats or fans of BSG and Babylon 5. There are still active communities around these shows, they still show up at cons, everyone recognizes the shows' contributions to the genre, but other than that, their presence has faded into the background. Eventually everyone moves on, remembering the shows as pleasant times in their lives.

FirstNationalBastard:this is the first fandom to have all these options open to them for creating original content because of the relative ease of flash animation, plentiful voice actors, and a copyright holder that hasn't yet went off the deep end with DMCA notices...

though Hasbro is starting to get all big corporation-y with things, so we'll have to see how long the hands off golden era can last.

The traditional business model:

1) Make content.2) ???3) PROFIT! (sell ad space, sell toys)

Step 2 is the hard part. The sensible move is to lock down the IP, keep it in the vault, and let it out only on special occasions, or when the price is right. Disney is the traditional example of this approach. But then, what fun is there in making sense?

Hasbro took the opposite tack. They've been incredibly generous with permitting the use of their IP. In part, because they never expected this to happen in the first place, and it takes a while for a large corporation to react to anything. When they realized that something was happening, even if they didn't understand what or why, they made the brilliant (but highly unorthodox) move of just going with it.

Letting the internet remix your IP turned out to be a low-risk, high-reward bet. If it's just a fad, it dies out in a few months and doesn't affect sales. If it actually goes viral, the experiment succeeds. In this case, it succeeded beyond any expectation. There are now hundreds of thousands of young adults who will be watching reruns of the show with their kids in 5-10 years, and Hasbro doesn't have to spend a dime to reach them.

Step 2 - the magical step that comes before profit - is that you maintain ownership of the IP, but otherwise let the fans run wild with it. It's profitable to let your fans remix and mash your property up, than it is to lock it down.

If the Brony phenomenon teaches content producers that lesson, and nothing else, the world will be a better place for it.